Icehome Series by Ruby Dixon #alienromance #KU

Icehome Series

Synopsis

This romance series features all of the adventure, humor and community you’ve come to expect in the Ice Planet Barbarians series, but it stands on its own. You do not need to read the other series (or be caught up) in order to read ICEHOME Series.

Opinion

The Icehome series has the romances happening around the same time. All the males were previously gladiators and fierce fighters. They struggle in their own way to adjust because they have been tricked with promises of freedom before.

Veronica’s Dragon: Veronica is, by her standards, plain and she cannot understand why Ashtar wants her. She thinks it is a practical joke at her expense. Ashtar recognizes Veronica is his mate and he will do whatever he has to do to win her. Because of her overall low self-esteem, I liked that Veronica has a gift because it helped her understand her own worth. I chuckled how she made Ashtar be friendly. My hubs can be antisocial and I have done something similar. https://amzn.to/3K2kmbv

Willa’s Beast: Willa seemed like the sweet easygoing one, but she had so much emotional trauma in her previous life that she trusted no one but Gren and held a mean grudge. Also, they did not get translators until 60%!!! The struggle to understand each other was real. However, the physical and mental health challenges they faced helped them to grow closer even though they could not understand each other’s language. https://amzn.to/3Igr3X0

Angie’s Gladiator: I am glad that the author did not make this a menage book. Vordis was a clone but I liked to see him get his own identity. Angie was kidnapped and wakes up pregnant. I understand why she had a hard time being around everybody else. It was an awkward situation and she thought Vordis had a pregnant woman fetish. That was awkward and uncomfortable until they cleared the air of all the misunderstandings. After reading Willa’s Beast, this seemed to be a sweeter romance. Granted, a big reason for that was that Angie had been pregnant and then had a baby to care for. Can’t be banging like rabbits all day when you have to breastfeed and change diapers. https://amzn.to/42oJXll

TOW Final Word: Buy, Borrow, Pass?

BUY. I liked the series even though I had a hard time imagining aliens with multiple arms and tails. However, if you are squeamish about aliens that don’t look all together human, you might decide to BORROW or PASS. It is available on Kindle Unlimited.

Book details

Series: Icehome

Heat Level: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

Print Length: around 300 pages

This post is full of Amazon affiliate links. Support my blog by clicking those links if you are thinking about borrowing this book. Thanks!!!

Brooklyn Chophouse Times Square #nyceats

Aug29

Brooklyn Chop House in Times Square offers a lively atmosphere with a fusion of American and Asian cuisine.

Hubby and I went there for drinks and appetizers before going to see Chicago. We left the hotel late and wanted something quick (plus we forgot to make reservations).

Brooklyn Chop House was around corner from our hotel and looked like a cool place to dine. When we walked inside, I felt a chic, casual lounge vibe.

We were greeted and fortunately seated quickly.

We ordered wine and beer thought in retrospect I should have tried one of their cocktails (Menu here https://scnv.in/BFhZ?qr=1 ). Since we were getting something simple, I picked the chicken wontons. They were so tasty and fried to perfection.

Overall, this was a great place for a quick bite before a Broadway show. I like the vibe for a date night as well.

Try It Tuesday: Travel Edition – Visiting Sint Maarten / Saint Martin #sxmbeaches

Aug12

If you are looking to for ideas for your next beach vacation, how about Sint Maarten / Saint Martin?

While officially, the island is two countries Sint Maarten (Dutch) / Saint Martin (French), the locals see it as one. It is easy to travel on the island back and forth as you desire. You will find that most people speak multiple languages including English. But if you can learn some polite phrases, they will love that too.

Accommodations & Transportation

There are plenty boutique hotels and VRBO/AirBnB options available. Be sure to consider your mode of transportation when booking. For example, if you rent a car, the hotel may not have parking available.

If you want to explore the island, renting a car is the best way to go. Drivers are usually polite and the roundabouts are easy to maneuver. Make sure you have a GPS (we used waze app or Google maps) so you don’t get lost.

If driving in another country is too scary for you, getting a taxi is the next best thing. This can be expensive though! Average trips are about 20-30 minute drives and can cost $50 or more roundtrip.

There are many speed boat and yacht tours and excursions available which allow you see many of the islands beaches. **Recommend the Captain Bob Speedboat tour (ask for Anthony and CJ)

Visitor Recommended Beaches

Mullet Bay Beach (plenty of parking but be careful not to get stuck it the sand)

Maho Beach & Sunset Beach bar (great for watching the planes takeoff, free parking with validated parking ticket at the bar)

Grand Case Beach (limited parking access, great for snorkling)

Marigot Beach (maybe difficult to access in the off season)

Things to Remember

Some beaches have Beach Clubs that include food, drinks, and other amenaties for a fee
Most beaches have someone selling Set of Chairs & umbrellas $20 (rentals until 5pm) *try to negotiate if going later in the day or if you need more than 2 chairs
Beach area restrooms may be available on site for a fee
May see some seaweed or may have some rocky terrain

Hey Palings Huis (The Eel House) – Temse BE

Jul25

I was in Belgium for a work trip and saw this restaurant. Not knowing anything about it, my group decided to try it.

As we looked over the menu and talked to the server, we learned their specialty was eel and the restaurant name translates to “The Eel House”.

I never ate eel before and the server convinced me to at least try it. He said it was his favorite and the restaurant was well known in the area for how they prepared the delicacy.

I tried it but it wasn’t for me. The seasoning was good but I was not accustomed to the texture.

The rest of my dinner was delicious and I recommend this restaurant.

The Boiling Crab #VegasEats

Jul8

The Boiling Crab

Seafood · 4025 S Decatur Blvd

If you are looking for an Informal spot for Cajun-style shellfish off the strip, check out this place.

By the constant stream of people, you can tell it is a Popular place for seafood off the Vegas strip.
We got there about 5:30pm and we had a 45 minute wait. There were 8 in our party and everyone had to be there for us to be seated.

Once we were seated, the servers were very attentive and quick.
The seasoning choices were tasty and there was plenty of seasoned butter in each bag.